Ageusia and Anosmia
by Kooliez
Summary: 3 Molecular gastronomists, 2 Elite Ten seats, and 1 Nakiri Senzaemon. With a track record like that, just by virtue of his family name, you'd think Nakiri Leon would have it made in the culinary world, right...? Normally that would be the case, but there was just the one problem... Normal humans had 5 fully functioning senses. He only had 3 (Pairings undecided)
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1:**

 **Start of the story:**

"…"

"…"

"…"

Doing his best to focus on following the recipe set for that day's class in an effort to ignore the pair of green eyes evidently trying to burn a whole through his back, Leon suppressed a shiver, trying to keep his own pair of green eyes trained on the whiteboard at the front of the lecture room in an attempt to keep them from wandering.

So far, despite the fact that they had been made to pair up for the cooking practical, neither he nor his partner had exchanged a word other than a few mutual delegations of jobs ('you tenderize the meat and I'll get started on the bouquet garni') or requests ('pass me that knife over there') yet…

The lack of communication wouldn't have bothered him so much – seeing as he was itching to get out of there anyway – but there was just the one thing.

Just _**why**_ was he staring so much?!

Admittedly, with the exception of the male sharing his kitchen counter, the rest of the students seemed more interested in the red-haired male a few aisles down, but even having one relentless gaze piercing through him was more than enough to make him take notice.

Usually when he drew stares on the streets, it was because of his appearance – white hair and green eyes were a rarity in Japan it seemed – but that couldn't be it; this guy had white hair and green eyes as well; if anything, his tan skin made him even more of a rarity than he was in Leon's opinion. Leon usually didn't mind being stared at because he could easily tune them out, but he didn't like the way this guy seemed to be analyzing him from head to toe.

In this case, it couldn't be his hair or eye color, so it had something else, right…?

Glancing over to his cooking partner, Leon noted the height difference between them; his companion easily had 9 or 10 inches on him, and it didn't seem to be just him either…

Redirecting his gaze to the rest of his classmates, Leon noted that he was one of the shortest students in the class. At 5'1, he was shorter than all the males and even most of the females, yet… that wasn't a sound reason to stare at him for a majority of class time was it…?

If it was, he couldn't blame him.

With his height and physique, he certainly looked out of place in this class.

He _**was**_ out of place; and it wasn't just his appearance either.

Tootsuki Academy.

 _An institution dedicated to the culinary arts._

 _A training grounds where anything relating to cooking could be found._

 _A school where all fights were resolved through what each party could put on a plate._

 _In short; a haven for young, aspiring chefs hoping to hone their skills._

…Too bad Leon was no aspiring chef.

Someone as unworthy as a non-chef daring to set foot on the sacred grounds of Tootsuki?

Scandalous and boy did he know it.

Resisting the urge to tell his partner to stop staring as he crushed an unpeeled clove of garlic under his knife and tossed it into the sizzling pan, Leon gave an uncomfortable shudder before wiping his hands off and setting the timer to ring at 5 minute intervals.

… _ **How**_ _had he gotten into this mess again…?_

 _~Flashback to the day before~_

"Thank you for the curry ingredients Leon-kun; the delivery was ahead of schedule and the quality is outstanding as usual!"

Giving the two women a wide, close-eyed grin before climbing back into his limo with his chauffeur and leaving the ingredient laden trucks behind, the boy called Leon immediately reached for his ringing phone, snowy white locks bouncing as he shifted into a more comfortable position. Not even bothering to glance at the caller ID before swiping a finger across the screen and picking up, the teen reclined back into his seat and beamed despite knowing that the caller wouldn't be able to see it "Hey Eizan! I just finished the delivery for Miss Natsume and Miss Orie so–" but that was all he managed to get out before 9th seat's voice cut smoothly across his.

"Nice as that is to know, that wasn't why I called."

"…Oh?" Letting a small frown mar his youthful features as he propped an elbow up on an arm rest, the younger male pouted for exactly 5 seconds before immediately recovering "So why'd you call?! Do you have another client already? xDDD"

"…!" Barely resisting the urge to pinch the bridge of his nose, the blonde on the other side of the line settled for simple breathing exercises instead "…No… Nothing like that–" but, seemingly thinking better of it, he paused his paperwork signing and corrected himself "Well, actually, yes. Not so much a client but another delivery I need you to make."

Precariously balancing his phone between his ear and shoulder as he set his pen down and shoved his current stack of paperwork away from him, the 2nd year student grabbed his organizer and rifled through it for a few tense moments before finally managing to flick to the right page and find what he was looking for, the tip of his index finger tracing the neatly penned entry as he relayed the information "Tomorrow at 900 hours sharp, a delivery of ingredients to Chapelle-sensei's classroom is required. Usually I'd ask someone else, but I've got a note here saying Senzaemon-dono specifically requested it to be you."

"…'Specifically' huh…?" Leaning against the plush interior of the limo as he idly watched the scenery outside the window, the petite male flashed his tiny canines in a dimpled grin "Did he say why?"

"Strangely enough, he did. Let's see…" Finger running down the wordy slab of text, the Yankee-like male gave a pinched frown before giving his own, shortened summary "…In a nutshell, skipping over the usual 'there is much for you to learn at Tootsuki and he plus a handful of other lecturers would love to see you there' parts, he says 'there is a new transfer student and I think you'll find him an interesting young man'…" Metal framed glasses glinting as he adjusted them, the blond gave a rare smirk "…and if you must know, I quite agree with his evaluation."

Swiftly putting his organizer back in its usual place and resuming his paperwork, the Elite Ten Council member leaned back in his chair before getting ready to end the call "I'll email you the list of ingredients and a map with the details as soon as I hang up; any last questions?"

"…"

"…"

"…"

"…Hello…?"

"…The grunting sounds you made when you were leafing through your books were really funny ^~^"

"…"

Giving a hearty laugh at the resulting beep that signaled the severed call, Leon stretched himself out, barely managing to suppress what felt like an endless stream of giggles as he tried to mentally picture the look on his business partner's face "…A delivery to Tootsuki huh…?"

Blatantly ignoring the 'No feet on the seats' sign a mere 2 feet away from him, the tiny 5'1 male grinned, kneeling in front of a window as he drank in the view outside "…Well~ If it's a request from _**that**_ person, I can't really say no…"

…

…

…

"…Chapelle-sensei… Chapelle-sensei…" Continuously muttering the name like a mantra as he stared hard at the printed map balanced on top of his delivery boxes, Leon abruptly rounded a corner and, admittedly not paying close attention to his surroundings, nearly ran into a female teacher.

"!"

Barely managing to swerve out of harm's way at the last second, the slightly shaken teen breathed a small sigh of relief before spinning around to face his near collision victim and giving an awkward laugh "Sorry Miss! Please excuse me; would you happen to know where Chapelle-sensei's lecture is?"

Not being a student of Tootsuki and thus not being familiar with the layout of the enormous school campus, having already spent the good part of 3 hours wandering its halls, the white-haired teen decided to just cut his losses and ask for help. If he failed his delivery, he knew he would never hear the end of it from Eizan so he sincerely hoped that this officious looking lady had her wits about her.

"…? 'Chapelle-sensei' as in Roland Chapelle?" Not noticing the slightly affronted look on her face which quickly faded into a neutral smile, the teacher nodded and gestured for the geographically challenged teen to follow "I do and it's not far from here; if you'd like I can take you there."

"Wow really?! Thanks!" Giving another quick sigh of relief before letting a grin spread over his face, Leon eagerly fell in step alongside the older woman (whose name tag identified her as 'Ishikawa-sensei'), letting her guide him to his destination.

…

…

…

"Alright… Looks like Chapelle-sensei himself isn't here yet so I guess I'll leave these here in the back…"

Setting the boxes down on the counter at the back of the lecture room, Leon made to leave only to find his exit barred by his escort "…I-Ishikawa-sensei…?"

"Class is just about to start so leaving the classroom is strictly forbidden." Giving a frown as she opened her mouth to begin what seemed to be a verbal tirade, she was – fortunately for Leon – cut off by the arrival of her fellow lecturer before she could get a single word out.

"Ishikawa-sensei; not that your presence is unwelcome but don't you have your own class to teach?"

"Chapelle-sensei, just in time." Turning to face her colleague as she grabbed Leon by the shoulders and forcefully pulled him between them, Ishikawa-sensei gave a frown "I caught one of your students trying to skip your class."

"…!" Tilting his face up to meet the gaze of Chapelle-sensei, Leon gave a sheepish grin and an equally sheepish wave. Roland Chapelle was one of Tootsuki's longest employed staff, so even whilst a vast majority of the school's newly hired teachers didn't know of him, Leon was confident that having been a personal acquaintance of the man for a fair few years, Chapelle-sensei would recognize him – and by extension, the fact that he was no student – and let him go on his merry way.

Sadly it seemed, judging from the way the blond lecturer thanked his colleague before clamping onto his shoulder with a vice-like grip, that even though there had been a hint of recognition flickering past the older man's otherwise impassive expression, Chapelle-sensei was not bailing him out of this situation anytime soon.

No, of course he wasn't.

Who was he kidding?

Chapelle-sensei had always been one of the more vocal of the Tootsuki staff who had voiced their protest at his steadfast refusal to attend the school as a student.

Too bad that Leon had somehow conveniently forgotten that fact until that moment where he found himself being marched to a kitchen counter where a tanned boy with silvery hair similar to his own was already waiting.

It seemed that that day's cooking practical was to be done in pairs, so it was with a somewhat nervous smile (which his cooking partner returned with an unreadable stare) that Leon gave in and turned to face the front where Chapelle-sensei was already beginning his class.

"Good morning, my young _apprentis_."

 _~End of Flash back~_

Flipping the beef over at the five minute mark, occasionally lowering his fingers into the pan and feeling the firmness, Leon pulled it off the heat just as the timer rang a second time, wordlessly handing the still sizzling meat over to the other white-haired male who unceremoniously dumped it into the pot of gravy he had prepared.

"…"

"…"

"…"

Staring the simmering pot down alongside his cooking partner who (for once) was not eying him, Leon made to get up, moving to the counter at the back where all the cutlery was kept, throwing a casual "I'll go get a serving dish" over his shoulder. It was going to be a l-o-o-o-o-n-g 40 minutes waiting for the meat to get braised so he may as well.

…

…

…

"Grade A"

Giving a quick nod before ducking his head and trying to get out of the class before the other students finished and Chapelle-sensei was free to chase him down, Leon was stopped by a hand grabbing his wrist with a grip that threatened to break bone.

"…?!"

Glancing back over his shoulder, Leon gave a noticeable wince; the hand belonged to his cooking partner.

What did he want _**now**_?

Making a half-hearted attempt to extract his wrist and giving a resigned smile when it refused to budge, Leon tilted his head back to meet his cooking partner's gaze, jade clashing with emerald s they stared each other down "…Uhhh… 'Sup?"

"…" Giving an unamused frown, the taller male finally let go, watching Leon's arm fall as he crossed his arms across his chest "…For all the steps on the recipe you followed and all the good quality ingredients you picked from among the ones of worse quality… The fact that you looked at, felt or listened to the ingredients to determine when they were ready rather than taste it like most people…"

Emerald green eyes narrowing, the tanned male deliberately stood in Leon's way, resolutely refusing to budge "I've never seen you around, you're not a chef and you don't even look like you're a high school student. How old are you? Or, better yet; _**who**_ are you?"

"…" Giving a wide close-eyed grin in an attempt to mask his anxiety under indifference before leaning back against the wall, Leon tilted his head back in an attempt to meet the much taller male's gaze "If it's not tasting the dish that you want to talk about, you smelled the ingredients, sure, but you never tasted them either. So how about before getting to me; who are _**you**_?"

"…" Eyebrow twitching in annoyance as he muttered out something that sounded vaguely along the lines of 'I asked you first', the tanned male sighed before lazily extending a hand "Hayama Akira, Tootsuki High School Division 1st Year and an assistant in the Shiomi Seminar."

Not expecting the other male to give in so quickly, Leon stared at the offered hand for a full 5 seconds before giving a far more genuine smile and taking it, giving it a firm shake and a squeeze "...Nakiri Leon, a staff member in Tootsuki's Ingredient Manufacture and Distribution Division. You're right, I'm not a student but if I was, I'd be part of the 94th Generation; a 2nd Year in the Middle School division."

 _~End of Chapter 1/ Intro Chapter~_

 **Author's Note:**

Hey y'all, I'm Kooliez! xDDD I noticed the recent boom in Shokugeki no Soma fanfiction so I decided it was a nice time to jump on the band wagon :D

Subtlety was never my strong point so I'll be blunt and cut to the chase in putting out a few disclaimers xDDD First; I do not own Shokugeki no Soma and secondly (Probably more importantly ^^; ) I have zero experience in the kitchen. I'll try to keep the recipes/food-related facts as accurate as possible, but to keep your reading experience as pleasant and enjoyable as possible, please let me know either in the reviews or PM if I've made a mistake somewhere! xD

I'll be the first to admit I'm no culinary genius or some kind of superstar chef, so I'll be counting on the rest of you more food-savvy folk to either leave behind constructive criticism or straight up flame. Yep. You read that right xD Don't worry; I've got pretty thick skin and an even thicker skull, so if you find something flameable and (like me) lack the delicacy to mince your words then please; by all means flame away – anything is better than silence so if you have something you wanna say, say it out loud and proud! :D

Oh! I almost forgot to mention but won't let me reply to Guest reviews, so while I take everything you have to say into account, I won't be able to reply until the next update OTL (Sorry about that! (9#A)9 )

This story is also a tentative experiment (Later chapters will be much longer I promise OTL) and like I said before, I have absolutely ZERO prior experience writing in this fandom so please fave/follow/tell me where I went wrong or what you liked in the reviews! xPPP


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2:**

Thanks for everyone that followed/faved/reviewed! Honestly, being new to this fandom, I wasn't expecting this much attention right off the bat so thanks so much! ^~^

 _In the previous chapter, Leon was on one of his delivery errands when he was unexpectedly accosted and held up by Chapelle-sensei and unwittingly forced to stay for a class. Then, before he could high-tail out of there, he was stopped (yet again) by none other than his class partner who introduced himself to be Hayama Akira…_

 **Start of actual chapter:**

Returning the handshake with an unreadable look in his impassive green eyes before letting go, Hayama finally backed up a few steps, giving Leon the space to leave if he wanted "…'Nakiri'… Are Nakiri Alice or Nakiri Erina your relatives?"

"Yep!" Giving a dimpled grin as he started down the hall way with Hayama leisurely strolling beside him, Leon tucked his hands into his pockets, letting himself wander the gargantuan school campus of Tootsuki, confident that the male beside him at the very least would be able to bail them out if he got lost "We're cousins …Err… Well, I should say, Erina and I are cousins; Alice is my older sister."

Catching the mildly surprised look that flickered past his companion's face, Leon's grin widened but he didn't elaborate; seeing as Alice and Erina usually caught the attention of the entire gourmet world, he couldn't really blame Hayama for not having heard of him.

After all… most chefs would probably cut off their right arm and those of half a dozen others just to be given the chance to adopt his family name; a 'privilege' that he had been given from birth.

That one born to the Nakiri clan would not become a chef was bordering on blasphemy; that's how much power his name wielded.

"…"

Not even sparing the clearly curious Hayama a glance as he stopped short in the middle of the corridor, Leon gave an uncharacteristically pinched frown as he recalled a certain individual in his family who had, shortly after his marriage, changed his last name in favor of adopting his spouse's; just the mere thought of that man got his blood boiling even though he had been little more than a toddler since he last made contact with him.

… _The flash of a polished black leather glove glinting in the light…_

… _Pain that painted his vision white…_

… _Hearing rather than feeling the thud of his body crashing through furniture…_

… _An incoherent female voice screaming and begging for everything to stop…_

… _._ _ **Pain**_ _… So much pain…!_

Finally snapping out of his mini reverie when an impatient Hayama started waving a hand in front of his face, Leon forced a small smile onto his face before resuming his walk beside his temporary classmate and letting the other male guide him to the seminar he had mentioned in his introduction.

… _That's right…_

… _He hadn't seen_ _ **that man**_ _in 10 years…_

Best to push him to the back of his mind and focus on the present; _was there anything that Shiomi Jun, Tootsuki's youngest lecturer and rumored expert on spices could teach him that even his long-standing collaboration with the Sendawara Sisters could not?_

It was with that last thought in mind that Leon let his small smile widen into a more genuine one as he walked through the door that Hayama held open for him.

…

…

…

What…?

Glancing around in visible shock as he struggled to mentally process the image that his eyes were sending to his brain, Leon openly gaped at the books and upturned mortar and pestles littering the now invisible floor of the room.

It was absolute carnage.

To a member of Tootsuki's Ingredient Manufacture and Distribution's staff board who lived off of producing, managing, storing and delivering perfectly packaged ingredients neatly stacked into perfectly aligned boxes which were then loaded onto perfectly identical trucks and punctually delivered on the dot at the requested time if not earlier, the sight was absolute eye cancer.

"Jun… You forgot to clean up again."

Blankly glancing back at Hayama who was already starting to pick up and pack away the mess with an efficiency reminiscent of a certain secretary of his cousin Erina, Leon watched in approval before stooping down and helping _…If he weren't a student of Tootsuki, he'd have been a great find and hire…_ he thought, gathering the books into stacks of similarly sized volumes before handing them off to Hayama who promptly shoved them back onto the correct shelf.

"I already told you; don't call me 'Jun'! ...Eh…? Hayama-kun, who's your friend?"

"?!"

Immediately whipping around to find the source of the noise from where he had been stacking books about spices back onto the lower shelves where Hayama had directed him, Leon found himself face to face with a bespectacled brunet who was (surprisingly) even shorter than he was.

Moving over to the duo and smoothly catching a book as it slid out of Leon's slackened grip, Hayama deftly replaced the volume onto its rightful place on the shelf before turning to face the pair "Jun… this is Nakiri Leon; he's the grandson of Director Senzaemon."

"Ooh~" Not taking her eyes off of her new acquaintance as her lips formed an 'o' of comprehension, the petite, brown-haired woman let a smile spread over her face before giving her own introduction "Hello! I'm Shiomi Jun, a lecturer at Tootsuki and the leader of the Shiomi Seminar but you can call me Shiomi-sensei!"

Letting a grin come over his own face to mirror that of the young teacher, Leon went back to gathering up the books scattered over the floor into neat stacks which he then shelved away following Hayama's wordless, gestured instructions "Probably a little late, but like Hayama said, I'm Nakiri Leon; one of the Faculty staff of Tootsuki's Ingredient Manufacture and Distribution Division; nice to meet you!"

Precariously balancing himself on an improvised stepladder of stacked tomes, Leon made to shelve a particularly thick and heavy volume, jade green eyes narrowed to reflect his concentration as he struggled to lift it over his head "I notice you've got a lot of books about spices here, Shiomi-sensei; would you mind letting me borrow some sometime-!"

Cutting himself off with a breathless gasp as he abruptly slipped, lost his balance then subsequently fell, Leon covered what little of his head he could in the short timeframe between registering his fall and actually hitting the ground, bracing for the impact of the floor meeting his body-

-Only, fortunately for him, that moment never came.

"…"

"…"

"…?"

Gingerly cracking an eye open, Leon found himself inches away from the upside down face of a very unamused looking Hayama Akira.

Heaving a sigh as he effortlessly righted the much smaller male into a standing position, Hayama lightly knocked Leon on the head, a very peeved look coming over his face as he bent down to retrieve the book that the younger male had dropped during his unceremonious descent "Get an actual stepladder next time; or at the very least call me over to shelve it for you."

"Ah… Eyup~ I'll remember that… Probably…"

Still examining himself for potential wounds before remembering that he and Hayama weren't alone in the room, Leon whipped around to face Shiomi-sensei who still had her hands half-lifted to her mouth, eyes wide with fear for his near lethal fall "Nakiri-kun?! Are you okay?!"

"I'm fine Shiomi-sensei!" Easily noticing the familiar burn of Hayama's eyes piercing into his back, Leon gave an inward grin before performing a few impromptu hops to show off his healthy state "See? Not hurt at all."

Heaving an internal sigh of relief when he heard a small "Hmph" come from Hayama's direction before feeling the older male's gaze leave his back in favor of continuing to shelve books where he had left off, Leon gingerly gathered up the books into neat piles, deciding to leave the actual shelving to the much taller male.

Quickly finishing as Hayama deftly shelved every last book away into its rightful place, Leon took his time to admire the room now that the mess had been cleared away, mouth falling open in awe as he gazed at the various jars of herbs lining the shelves of the walls and cabinets; having come into regular contact with ingredients on a daily basis as his job required him to do, Leon liked to think of himself as a good judge of ingredients and he could definitely tell that all the herbs in this room down to the very last leaf and seed were of excellent quality.

"…"

Watching Leon carefully as he folded his arms over his chest, Hayama frowned, a pinched expression coming over his face as he eyed the smaller male down "…You know… something struck me as strange when you walked into this room…"

Emerald green eyes narrowing as they met jade, Hayama lowered his arms and shoved them into his pockets as he stepped closer, frown not leaving his face as he advanced "…Most people who enter this room for the first time are overwhelmed by the strong smell of the fresh and dried spices yet here you are completely unfazed; not even a single sniff or sneeze…"

Abruptly stopping when he was right in front of Leon, Hayama lowered his head from his considerable height advantage until their eyes were level, a deepened frown painting his tanned features "…If you ask me, that's very strange… Almost as if you didn't notice the smell of the spices at all."

"…!"

Making an effort to keep his expression neutral as he felt the other male gaze into his soul, emerald green eyes trying to pierce into him and pick him apart, Leon forced a wide, close-eyed smile before slowly backing up a few steps to put some distance between them "…Well~ That might be so… I _**am**_ an ingredient handler and I handle strong-smelling ingredients on a regular basis so yeah; I might not have noticed the smell immediately…"

"…"

His dissatisfaction clearly showing on his face as he watched Leon inch away, Hayama exhaled through tightly compressed lips before straightening back up to his full height "…Alright, you win; I won't push it this time but I'll get to the bottom of you eventually."

Watching Hayama back off with no small amount of trepidation as his heart thumped in his chest and he let out a breath that he didn't even know he had been holding, Leon slowly peeled himself away from where he had pressed himself up against the wall behind him and went back to admiring the spices, not noticing when he made an unconscious move to wipe his nose.

A move that was, unfortunately for him, not missed by a certain tanned male who had still been watching him closely.

"…"

Continuing to eye Leon from where he had seated himself on the couch, Hayama gave another frown, watching as the petite male conversed with the equally petite professor, both poring over a book about spices. Leon's behavior – especially his cooking habits – was strange in his eyes. From what little of his skills he had seen, Leon's ability to appraise and handle ingredients seemed decent to say the least…

 _Why, then, was it, that a boy of his age – especially one with his prestigious pedigree – not enrolled in Tootsuki?_

The reputation of the Food Demon King spread far and wide in the upper circles of the gourmet world and the same could be said for his kin.

Nakiri Erina: the current 10th seat of the Elite ten in Tootsuki and the youngest student to ever gain a seat on the council in the history of the school.

Nakiri Alice: a genius at utilizing molecular gastronomy having won all sorts of prizes and gained all sorts of patents by the time she was 10 years of age and said to be next to enter the Elite ten council after her cousin.

… _And yet…_

Until this day, no rumor of a 'Nakiri Leon' had ever circled the school.

Perhaps an offhand comment by the staff or teachers every now and again, but other than that, as far as the rest of the school were concerned, Nakiri Senzaemon had only 2 grandchildren; both of whom had already established their fearsome reputations within the school.

 _What made Leon any different?_

 _Did he not want a career in the food industry? Did he want to be a doctor perhaps?_

No, that very thought was absurd; hadn't he mentioned mere moments earlier that he was one of the faculty staff in Tootsuki?

 _Why, then, was it, that he had chosen to be an ingredient distributor rather than a chef?_

It made little to no sense with the little information he had and it was driving Hayama crazy.

Only bringing himself out of his thoughts when a horrified gasp came from his brown-haired custodian as she apologized to the hapless Leon for having broken into a lecturer style rant when he asked about a particular spice, Hayama watched in amusement as the white-haired teen shrugged it off and merely pointed at another spice in the book, asking about its properties.

Giving a smile when Shiomi-sensei eagerly answered any and all questions he had regarding any of the spices in the book, Leon casually glanced at his watch only to do a double-take, noticing the time ticking away.

What the heck was he doing here, still leisurely looking through a book with a professor; he wasn't even a student!

Not to mention he still had some rounds to make for the rest of the day.

So it was with a very panicked look on his face that the petite male leapt to his feet and bowed, blurting out a hasty apology "Ah… Sorry Shiomi-sensei, but duty calls; I should get going."

"Ah! Sorry for keeping you away from your work!" Getting to her own feet and giving a bow of her own in return, Shiomi-sensei beamed and pressed the thick book into Leon's arms "If you'd like, you can borrow this and return it the next time you visit." Turning their heads to face the spice professor in unison as they zeroed in on the same words, Leon and Hayama spoke up simultaneously.

"'Next time'…?"

"Well sure! Next time!" Giving a smile as she clasped her hands together in front of her in delight, Shiomi-sensei beamed "Hayama-kun is really hard to get along with so he doesn't really have any friends his own age but he seems to like you, Leon-kun, so feel free to visit any time!"

Not even bothering to suppress an impish smile as he glanced over at an unimpressed looking Hayama, Leon caught the tanned male's eye and grinned-

-only to find himself being shepherded to the door moments later.

"You didn't leave anything behind? Good. You can keep that book for now; just take good care of it. Bye."

Staring at the door long after it had been slammed in his face, Leon slowly got up and dusted himself off, painstakingly following the maps of the school posted at regular intervals around the hallways and corridors, trying to find his way out of the school. He'd heard the Japanese were shy, but was Hayama even ethnically Japanese…?

Shaking his head to free himself of the thought, the white-haired male slid a list out of his pocket and scrutinized it, an uncharacteristic frown coming over his youthful features as his eyes found themselves drawn to one particular restaurant's name on the list.

… _Hojorō…_

Managing to push it to the back of his mind as he rounded a corner and nearly ran into a pair of female students, Leon gave them both an apologetic bow before asking the two for directions.

… _ **No…**_

 _When he took on this job and position, he had known what he was getting into;_ _ **there was no reason for him to shy away now.**_

So it was with that last thought in mind that Leon exhaled softly, thanked the two girls for their time and went on his merry way.

 _~Time skip to late at night that same day~_

Shielding his face from the setting sun as he smiled and peered out the window shortly before the limousine he was riding in pulled up outside the entrance of the Nakiri household, Leon thanked the chauffeur and waved the man off, making his way to his home with his last delivery of the day in his hands-

-that is, until he was accosted by someone just short of reaching the gates.

"…"

Slowly setting the taped cardboard box down in favor of lifting a hand to greet the familiar figure, Leon schooled his features into the polite 'business smile' that Eizan had taught him "…Good evening Miss Hojo; was there something you wanted from me?"

"Hmph… Spare me the pleasantries and save them for people who actually care." Giving an unlady-like snort as she got up from where she had been crouched against the wall of the Nakiri mansion's gates, Hojo Miyoko, the heiress of the Chinese Restaurant Hojorō stood firm, her narrowed violet eyes piercing through the boy that stood before her "Nakiri Leon…"

"That would be me; how do you do Miss Hojo and how may I help you?" Watching the violet-haired female with no small amount of apprehension as he kept a watchful eye on her, Leon lowered his previously raised arm, jade green eyes flickering with a guarded look. He knew exactly what she was here for, but his instinct and years of finely-honed business acumen told him that that was best kept to himself for now; he'd let her make the first move.

And make the first move she did.

Watching the much taller female advance on him until his face was level with her ample chest, the youngest of the Nakiri cousins tactfully averted his eyes in favor of meeting her frowning gaze. Though it would be both wishful thinking or straight-up boldfaced lying to say that he had never had a displeased customer before, in all the years that he had been working professionally as an ingredient distributing staff member, Leon could quite honestly say that the number of times an unhappy client had brought their complaints to his doorstep could be counted on the fingers of one hand so he braced himself for what he knew was about to come.

"The ingredients my father's restaurant ordered; you failed to deliver."

 _ **There it was.**_

Barely resisting the urge to bite his lip or let any show of his personal emotions break the façade of his assured, professional poker face, Leon calmly accepted the list of ingredients that Hojo was waving in his face, jade green gaze quickly scanning the printed document, eyes not even bothering to take in the words that he already knew the contents of.

 _ **Still.**_

If her reputation around her family restaurant kitchen staff and the rumors floating around the student body of Tootsuki were anything to go by, she was a fearsome woman with a short temper so it was probably wise to at least pretend to be ignorant and let her address the umbrage she had taken with his service herself.

So it was with that thought in mind that Leon handed the page back with a practiced smile on his face, trying to school his youthful features to show off his dimples. He had learned from Eizan that women seemed to be more open-minded and let their guards down around younger males and were more willing to settle for less favorable terms than if they had been haggling with a fully grown man; probably the reason why that bespectacled blond always sent him to seal the deals for ingredient supply from the Sendawara sisters – that conniving Yankee.

… _ **Although…**_

Judging from the noticeable frown that Hojo wore as she wordlessly tucked the list back away into her pocket, it seemed Eizan's signature pre-emptive strike Plan A had not worked its charm this time round. Frown deepening to a scowl as she towered over the white-haired male for a few tense moments, the Chinese restaurant heiress finally spoke up "You refused to do business with my family's restaurant even though my father offered you your standard rates; is this some new way for the men who stand at the apex of Tootsuki to harass women?!"

Yeowch.

Even with quite a few years of experience dealing with tough customers, it took all of Leon's professionalism not to flinch at this point. As it was though, he wordlessly met the furious heiress' burning gaze, violet clashing with jade as they stared each other down. Finally managing to reign in his quickened pulse, Leon held out a hand once more for the list that he had handed back to Hojo, watching as the scowling female pressed it back into his outstretched fingers before turning it back to face her, his index finger running down the list.

… _Lobster…_

… _Tiger Shrimp…_

… _Abalone…_

… _Oyster…_

…All the way down to the final and only unchecked ingredient on the page: _**Shark fin.**_

Watching the violet-haired female closely for a reaction as he spoke, Leon gave the ingredient name another tap "Miss Hojo… as I'm sure you're aware… Sharks are an endangered species and over-fishing them can cause extinction so it's ill-advised to do so." Trying not to let his smile falter as the heiress' scowl deepened further, Leon forced himself to continue "As it is, we have an extremely low stock and we were all sold out by the time you-!"

No amount of experience or professionalism could have prepared Leon for the hand that was suddenly slammed into the wall of the gates surrounding the Nakiri estate, causing a sizeable dent of crumbling brick to form under the Chinese cuisine specialist's fist, a feat of physical strength that caused the white-haired male to unwittingly flinch. Noticing that the taller female had cage him in against the now damaged wall, Leon internally balked, unsure of what he should do in this situation; judging from her reaction to his previous mild protests, it seemed that reasoned rhetoric was off the table for now.

 _ **Think! What would Eizan do?**_

Adjust his glasses, causing them to glint, before promptly either shoving or wrestling the purple-haired chef away from him – but unfortunately for Leon, he had neither Eizan's audacity nor eyewear at his current disposal so that option was off the table too.

 _ **Last option: Stand strong and take it like a man (?)**_

Judging from the near murderous glint in Hojo's eyes, Leon highly doubted he would make it through the ordeal completely unscathed, but as it was, he was fresh out of ideas, so it was with a prayer and sincere fear for his life that he closed his eyes, waiting for the first blow-

-that never came.

"…?"

Softly counting to ten before allowing himself to slowly open his eyes, Leon saw the hand of a certain aide of his older sister holding the wrist of the fist that would have inevitably punched his lights out. Letting his lips twitch into a smile, Leon gratefully squeezed out of his predicament through the narrow gap that the raven-haired male's intervention allowed him "Thanks Ryou; I owe you one!"

"…Osu…" Drooping red eyes lazily raking over his white-haired friend's slender frame several times, looking for any potential injuries before finally satisfying himself that there were none, Kurokiba Ryou wordlessly let go when the violet-haired female tugged her wrist away from him in disgust, choosing instead to reach into his pocket and pull out a flame-patterned bandana which he promptly tied around his head-

"-WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU DOING BITCH?!"

Giving a resigned smile as he watched his friend's abrupt change in attitude with no small amount of amusement despite the situation, Leon sweatdropped slightly before moving forward to grab hold of one of the raging male's arms, gently trying to shepherd him back inside the gates of the mansion "Ryou! It's getting late; you know that if you make too much noise and distract the girls, they'll blame us boys for ruining their concentration!"

"I DON'T GIVE A FLYING FUCK! YOU CAN TELL THAT BITCH TO TAKE HER BUSINESS AND SHOVE IT UP HER-!"

But neither Leon nor the increasingly aggravated Hojo ever found out what she was to do with her business because at that moment, a beautiful female with white hair and pale features that matched Leon's promptly exited the gates of the Nakiri mansion and pulled the bandana from the raven-haired male's head as she yawned into her free hand with a tired groan "Really Ryou-kun? If you annoy Erina or Hishoko at this time, you're really going to get it! Tasting dishes isn't all that Erina's God Tongue is good for you know? She's a genius at insulting people as well!"

"…Ah… Milady…" Immediately slipping back into his usual deadbeat attitude, Ryou merely nodded at Hojo before trudging back indoors in a much more subdued manner than before "Good night… See you tomorrow…"

"Bye-bye~!" Giving the purple-haired female a playful wink before escorting her brother in suit, Alice giggled as she waited until the yelling of the heiress outside had died down before immediately wheeling Leon around, carefully scrutinizing her brother from head to toe like her aide had done mere moments earlier. Satisfied that the younger male was free of harm, Alice promptly wrapped both arms around her younger sibling, mischievously cutting off his oxygen supply for a few moments before finally letting go with a playful smile on her face "Punishment hug for making your big sister worry! Mou!"

Feeling a finger flick against his forehead, Leon quickly lifted his hand to his throbbing head before pouting at his giggling sister "Welcome home, Leon; next time finish earlier or Big sis Alice will be worried alright?"

Pouting for a few more moments before letting it go with a smile, Leon reached over to hug his older sister, squeezing back when she reciprocated and letting go to head towards the bathroom "I'm home Onee-chan; I'll try not to work overtime next time."

"I'll be holding you to that, so don't go back on your word or there'll be more punishment hugs!" Giving a pout of her own that perfectly matched that of her brother's as she firmly planted her hands on her hips, Alice watched as Leon rounded a corner and walked out of sight before letting a smile soften her features.

"…"

Coming out from the shadows where he had been standing moments earlier, Kurokiba glanced over at his mistress with an almost bored and disinterested look in his red eyes "…Milady… If you care for him so much that you'd make any excuse just to extort more hugs out of him, why don't you just tell him? Leon probably wouldn't mind…"

"Mou! Ryou-kun! I have to maintain at least _**some**_ form of authority; hugs from big sisters are anathema for growing boys around his age you know! What if one day… What if one day Leon-chan decides he doesn't want to hug me anymore…?!"

"…" Wordlessly handing his mistress a handkerchief as she collapsed onto him in a fit of uncontrollable sobs, Kurokiba awkwardly patted the older of the two Nakiri siblings on the back, inwardly wondering which deity he offended to find himself in such an unenviable situation.

…

…

…

"That was a good shower; all refreshed and ready for bed!"

Cheerfully rounding a corner with a small, taped cardboard box tucked under one arm as he furiously towel-dried his damp white locks with his free hand, Leon paused outside a closed door, noticing that the light was on. Eyebrows knitting together in confusion, the youngest member of the Nakiri Household was just about to go on his merry way back to his own room but paused once again when he heard his name.

"Yes… The date has been confirmed to be tomorrow… Just make sure this list goes to Leon, alright? Hisako…"

"Yes, Erina-sama… I shall see to it that this list makes its way to Leon-sama's hands immediately."

And that was all the warning Leon got before swift, efficient footsteps from inside the room started to make their way to the door. Panicking slightly as he vainly looked left and right for a place to hide – being caught eavesdropping outside his cousin's door was not high on his list of to-do's as of the moment – Leon found himself face to face with his cousin's secretary, pausing for a moment before forcing a close-eyed smile onto his twitching face as he awkwardly lifted a hand in greeting "Good evening Miss Arato…"

"Ah! Leon-sama…" But before the equally startled aide could get another word out, slow assured footsteps sounded against the floor before the current 10th seat of Tootsuki, Nakiri Erina herself stood at the door.

"Leon, it's unbecoming of any gentleman to eavesdrop on a conversation – particularly one that's occurring behind the closed door of a lady's room." Mauve eyes narrowing as the younger male spluttered, scrambling for a response, Erina sighed before waving a hand dismissively "No matter, I'll overlook it this time. More importantly; you heard everything I trust?"

Nodding at her pink-haired assistant who proceeded to hold the list that she had clutched against her chest out to Leon, Erina tossed her hair before moving to retreat back into her room "I'll need everything on that list delivered to me tomorrow at the cooking arena at 11:00 A.M. sharp. I need to start cooking at 11:30 so don't be a second late."

Jade green eyes narrowing as he accepted the list from Hisako with a nod and smile by way of thanks, Leon bit his lip in an attempt to keep a frown from spreading over his face as his eyes scanned down the list, gaze lingering on some ingredients for longer than others.

… _Fonterra Cream…_

… _South African Rock Lobster…_

… _Volaille de Bresse Chicken…_

All top of the line ingredients that would be fit for a king's kitchen; whatever the occasion, it seemed that Erina was both ready and willing to pull out all the stops.

Exhaling softly as he steeled himself, Leon reached forward and gently grabbed Erina's arm just before she passed through the door, letting go and waiting for her to turn around and cross her arms "Are these for a Shokugeki?" he asked in response to her unspoken demand for an explanation.

"…They are… Is that all you wanted to ask me?" Impatiently tapping her foot as she waited for an answer that never came, the blonde sighed before moving to disappear back into her room "If that's it then I'll be going now. Just remember – your authority and obligations to your job only go as far as the manufacture and provision of ingredients…"

"… _ **What they'll be used for is none of your concern."**_

"…!"

Opening his mouth to speak only to abruptly step back and barely avoid a faceful of wood, Leon stared at the door to his cousin's room long after it had been closed in his face before sighing and turning to face Hisako who had been watching the whole ordeal. Giving the pink-haired female a weak smile before handing her the cardboard box that he'd been holding onto, Leon watched as she gave him an equally weak smile in return before tearing the tape off the box and opening it to reveal the contents – various jars and packets of dried and fresh Chinese medicinal herbs and, at the very bottom, a few packages of dried shark fin.

Giving a far more genuine smile as he tucked his hands into his pockets, Leon grinned, nodding at the ingredients "Not to say I'm being partial or that I'm selling to the highest bidder, but there's a really tough customer who's looking to monopolize all my stock. It was one of the few times I genuinely feared for my life, so don't tell anyone where you got the shark fin alright?" Not waiting to hear her reply as he promptly spun around and moved to go back to his own room, Leon carefully folded and tucked the list that Hisako had handed him back into his pocket.

… _That's right…_ _ **The list**_ _…_

Smile immediately dropping as he fingered the now dog-eared piece of paper with a forlorn look, Leon wondered who his cousin's target tomorrow was and whether it was even his business to know; like Erina had so elegantly phrased it, his job was only to distribute the ingredients…

… _ **Right…?**_

Then what was that uncomfortable feeling in his chest?

 _Erina had_ _ **always**_ _done things this way…_

 _Exercising her authority as a member of the Elite 10 council to cut the budget or reduce the club room of research societies she doesn't like then forcefully manipulating their situation to make things worse and worse until their only chance left was to turns the tables in one fell swoop with a Shokugeki._

 _After that, she then puts up even more conditions to accept the Shokugeki and makes things go her way then gaining even more influence…_

Sounded like a bad case of Dark Politics in a bid to win the game of thrones and reign at the apex of Tootsuki to Leon.

Biting his lips again as he finally reached the door labelled 'Leon's Room', the white-haired teen flopped unceremoniously into his bed as he pondered his next move; should he obey Erina or was the situation at Tootsuki really none of his business…?

Having reached over for his phone and dialed Eizan's number before he'd even realized what he'd done, Leon waited on bated breath for the cunning 9th seat to pick up. Barely registering the ' _hello?_ ' on the other end of the line before blurting out everything to the bespectacled blond on the other side of the line, Leon leaned back against his bed as he described his situation.

…

…

…

"…"

Eyebrows knitting together into a pinched scowl as the sharpened tip of his expensive fountain pen stabbed a hole through the document he was signing, the vein in Eizan's temple throbbed as he listened to what seemed like near endless babble on his colleague's end of the line, occasionally catching phrases like 'Erina', 'Shokugeki' and even a 'What should I do' through the near constant word vomit.

' _What should he do'?_

' _ **WHAT SHOULD HE (Censored) DO'?!**_

What was he now – his agony aunt?!

Resisting the urge to hang up, turn off his phone then pull the battery out and throw the battery and battery-less phone to opposite ends of his office, Eizan set his pen down before pinching the bridge of his nose and forcing himself to calm down, some vague voice of reason at the back of his mind reminding him that workmate or not, Leon was only 13 years old and was still a growing brat- BOY.

Still a growing **boy**.

And as such, he deserved at least a LITTLE bit of lee-way.

So it was with a horribly forced, twitching smile on his face that Eizan adjusted his glasses with a threatening glint and spoke with as neutral a tone as he could manage "I…see…" -now where the heck was he supposed to go from there?!

Continuing to take breathing exercises as he tugged at his collar and leaned back into his chair, the blond spoke up again once he was 51% sure that he wouldn't lose it completely on the younger male "Well seeing as it's a customer – Nakiri Erina no less – that asked, just think of it as another job, no strings attached."

Finally managing to calm down from his near explosive state earlier, Eizan stopped rocking back on his seat and took his foot off the table-leg of his desk, letting his chair drop back to the perfectly maintained and polished floor with a soft thump "Remember, we're businessmen first and foremost and the customer is king – fulfill between 110% to 150% of their requests not just 100%. Bottom line; just do your job like you'd normally do for our other clients and don't treat this case any differently just because you're personally acquainted with them."

A long silence followed from the other end of the call and just when Eizan was half-convinced that either his phone was broken or he'd been hung up on, Leon spoke up.

"…Doesn't the Shokugeki system seem somewhat unfair or even like borderline hazing because it's skewed in the favor of the more experienced or influential party…?"

Even from the other side of the call, Leon could almost see Eizan running an impatient hand through his hair before answering, his tone making it clear that he was eager to end this conversation and get back to work "…You're not a student so your uninformed stance on this matter is understandable, but Tootsuki has no need for talentless chefs who are just here to play house; their lack of skills is their own problem."

This time, Leon was expecting the buzz of the severed call at the end of the blond's sentence.

"…"

"…"

"…"

Giving a sigh as he rolled over and mulled over the contents of his call with Eizan, Leon finally flipped himself face up and kicked his legs up into a reclining position.

He had just caught another glimpse of the hidden dark side of Tootsuki .

Roland Chapelle, his grandfather and a couple of other staff besides had always told him it was a pity that he wasn't a student, but he couldn't bring himself to regret it.

Nor could he see any cause for him to do so.

Righting himself up into a sitting, cross-legged position, Leon scooted over to the end of his bed where his desk was and grabbed the organizer that Eizan had bought for (more like forced on) him last Christmas and flicked to the back page where he kept all his contacts, humming as he traced down the list of phone numbers and tapped in the numbers before pressing 'Call' and holding his phone to his ear, waiting for the click that signaled a connected call "Hello? It's Leon – I need you to send some ingredients over through the express delivery helicopter. It's an emergency and I need them in time for tomorrow by 1000 hours UTC +9:00 at the very latest… No, I'm aware – please send the bill direct to my bank…"

There was no time to be thinking about this right now; he was a businessman and he had a job to do.

…

…

…

 _~Time skip to the next day~_

"Thanks for your hard work! Put it down over there with the rest of the uninspected ones please!"

Casually directing his staff left and right as they came in with more taped cardboard boxes filled with ingredients, Leon rubbed at his eyes and fought back a yawn – he'd been up all night trying to gather all the ingredients that Erina had asked for which was a much taller order than it sounded when they needed to be imported from all over the world and he was given less than 24 hours to do it.

Shaking his head and slapping his cheeks to wake himself up, Leon pulled out a notepad and gave the contents one last quality check "…Dairy products – stored at around 40 degrees Fahrenheit during the entire process… check! …The Volaille de Bresse Chicken freshly culled and flown in directly from France overnight… check!"

Finishing up his inspection and tucking his notepad away into his pocket, Leon nodded at his staff to load the ingredients onto a trolley and wheel it in to where his cousin was waiting backstage before entering himself, a small smile coming over his face as he lifted a hand in greeting "Good Morning Erina – everything you asked for is over there."

"Thank you Leon." Giving Leon a curt reply as she strode over to the trolley with brisk steps, Erina gave the ingredients a brief inspection of her own, expert mauve eyes scanning the packages before giving a nod of approval and setting everything back down "Everything looks to be in order so that will be all."

Knowing a dismissal when he saw one, Leon gave one last dimpled smile before turning to go but was stopped by a new voice that made him jump and spin around, wide, panicked green eyes trying to locate the source of the sound – he hadn't realized that there was anyone else in the room so it was with a hand clutched against his racing heart that Leon came face to face with a large male resembling a sumo wrestler.

Giving a grunt as he eyed the much smaller male down, the sumo-like male glared before spitting out his accusation "Getting a grunt to do all of your dirty work? Damn you Nakiri Erina!"

"Godabayashi-senpai, if you have anything to say to me, I'd much prefer you say it on a plate; as luck would have it, you'll have your chance in a few short minutes." Violet eyes glinting as she licked her lips, the 10th seat of the Elite Ten Council swiftly pulled her hair back into a ponytail before setting a chef's hat onto her head "Until then, I suggest you keep your senseless ramblings to yourself."

" _Che…!_ " Rapidly clenching and unclenching his fists like he'd like to strangle the blonde, Godabayashi settled for a furious scowl before rounding on Leon "And you! Are you really so content with being the lackey of this she-devil?!"

Hoisting a business smile onto his face and keeping it as neutral as he could, Leon reached into his pocket and pulled out his wallet "Godabayashi-san, you're mistaken; I'm a neutral party, I'm just an ingredient distributor doing my job." Finally managing to fish out a slim piece of glossy black cardboard, the white-haired male handed it to the very confused Chanko Research Society leader "That's my business card and it's got my contact details on it; if you order in bulk to save on shipping prices, we'll even give you a discount."

"Leon, you're wasting your time; he'll never be one of your customers." Smoothly cutting in before Godabayashi could reply, Erina's eyebrows knitted together into a frown as she folded her arms across her chest "He could work a life time and still not be able to afford anything from you; all your ingredients and service are premium"

"That's not true Erina, we have ingredients of differing qualities to cater to all budgets or socio-economic classes and services rendered save for shipping and the like are never included in the final price." Giving a smile as he caught the flicker of surprise flashing through his cousin's eyes over his rare contradiction, Leon nodded first to Erina then to the still somewhat stunned Godabayashi who barely managed to raise a hand in return before moving to exit the waiting room, his eyes briefly glancing over to the trestle table where the Chanko Research Society leader's ingredients lay.

Quickly turning back to face forward before he potentially crashed into a wall, Leon finally let his smile fall, the cheerful expression quickly replacing itself with a forlorn look.

… _ **No good…**_

Those oysters were spoiled; a common mistake to make when seafood wasn't stored correctly but a disastrous one that could ruin a whole dish nonetheless.

Looks like today's challenger will fall victim to Erina once again.

Nonchalantly heading back up the stairs to the exit through doors at the back of the stands, just when he was about ten paces away from the door that had a big neon sign with 'EXIT' written on it in flashing green lights, Leon cast a careless glance back over his shoulder where the Shokugeki emcee Kawashima Urara was addressing the crowd only to catch sight of a pair of vivid green eyes staring intently into his own.

A very familiar pair of green eyes in fact.

Fighting his way to Hayama through a cheering throng of students, Leon managed to shake his impending worries away with a grin and collapsed gratefully into the space that the tanned male made by scooting over and offered to him "Hahaha… Thanks Hayama-kun."

Opening his mouth like he wanted to ask a question before seemingly deciding against it as he closed it again, Hayama settled for a half-shrug before nodding at the arena "So… I saw you coming up from the back stage; were you running errands for that cousin of yours?"

Giving an equally half-hearted shrug in return, Leon followed Hayama's gaze to where the Shokugeki was taking place before giving a grimace "Well yes… if you could call it that" Letting a far more genuine smile spread over his features, Leon shook his head "What Erina wants, Erina had better get unless you want to get yelled at."

Giving a sheepish laugh, Leon leaned forward slightly, aware of the male sitting beside him watching his every move "I've known Erina for all my life and take it from me; when she gets angry, she's even scarier than Eizan. Really… Hell hath no fury like Erina if she doesn't get what she wants."

Watching from his peripheral vision as Hayama's eyes narrowed, Leon gave an impish grin when the horn which signaled the start of the Shokugeki sounded, effectively drowning out whatever the older male had been trying to say; and judging from the peeved look on the spice expert's face, he knew it too. Turning back to the cooking match, not even bothering to hide his grin at Hayama's annoyed expression, Leon watched the Shokugeki half with awe at his blonde cousin's skill and half with amusement at the tanned male's increasingly impatient attempts to get his attention.

Finally giving up as he sighed and leaned forward so that he was level with Leon, Hayama followed Leon's gaze to the two chefs and propped his chin up in the curve of his palm "So who do you think is going to win?"

"Are you asking for the unprofessional opinion of a non-chef now?" Letting a brief flash of amusement flicker through his face at the older male's disgruntled expression, Leon gave a smile that didn't reach his eyes as he turned back to the match with a hum "…Erina again, probably…"

Letting a small frown tug at his lips, Hayama tore his gaze away from the cooking showdown to glance at Leon "…You're not happy." he observed.

Unable to completely mask the surprise coming over his face, Leon gave a small, sad smile before also tearing his gaze away to face Hayama.

"…Hm~ No, I guess I'm not."

"…"

"…"

"…"

Letting the silent, unasked question hang between them for a few tense moments, Leon finally lifted a hand-

-only to point directly at the screens broadcasting the results.

3-0.

It was a unanimous vote in Erina's favor.

Watching the confusion in the other male's face, Leon reached out to wrap his fingers around Hayama's wrist, once again redirecting the taller male's gaze as he pointed down at Godabayashi.

 _The confusion._

 _The regret._

 _The devastation._

 _ **The despair.**_

Leon could clearly see and identify every emotion that flickered through the Chanko Research Society Leader's expression; it wasn't particularly hard seeing how many times Erina had crushed her opponents in Shokugekis and how many times Leon had been forced to bear witness to the fear, shame and humiliation of her victims.

 _ **Still…**_

Even though he was familiar with the sight, he didn't think he'd ever get used to the dog-eat-dog hierarchy in Tootsuki.

Biting his lip, Leon unwittingly squeezed a confused Hayama's wrist until the other male had the good sense to put a hand on his shoulder, making him jump.

"… **Ahem** …"

Quickly glancing down at the tanned male's tactful cough, Leon flushed before removing his hand with a mumbled apology. Turning back to the match just in time to see his cousin taste the hapless sumo-like male's Chanko dish, Leon inwardly winced; although his hearing was better than most, he was eternally thankful that the din of the cheering students or sobbing Chanko Research Society members drowned out Erina's words. He wasn't exactly certain what she was saying, but he would hazard a guess that she was criticizing Godabayashi's dish.

And knowing Erina; she probably won't bother with mincing her words to soften her blows either.

Seeing the look of a deer looking into headlights in his cousin's victim, Leon abruptly stood up, not even bothering to spare the confused look on Hayama's face a second glance before making a hasty retreat, running to the door labelled 'exit' as fast as his legs would take him.

Unfortunately, the unmistakable sound of a demolition wrecking ball echoed from the screen projector before the door fully closed on the sight of Hayama fighting his way through the throng of students separating him and Leon.

Quickly dashing through the hallways before Hayama could catch up to him, Leon ran past a door with a picture of a man on it before coming to an abrupt stop and doubling back.

It was the men's toilets.

"…" Giving a blush as he quickly forced his way into a cubicle and locked the door behind him just in time to hear the heavy footsteps of his pursuer run past, Leon waited until he was certain Hayama was completely gone before giving a small sigh of relief. Reaching over for a roll of toilet paper and spreading some of it over the top of the closed seat, Leon sat down and made himself comfortable as he reached into his pocket and quickly dialed a number, pressing it against his ear as he waited for the line to connect.

"…Hello?"

Giving a smile at the perpetually irritated voice, Leon propped his cell between his shoulder and ear before pulling his legs up onto the seat as well into a crouching position in case Hayama came doubling back, looking for him "…Hey Eizan, have you got another job for me right now?"

"…"

"…"

"…"

Pulling the phone back to make sure it was still connected before pressing it back against his ear, Leon listened just in time to hear the bespectacled Yankee's next words.

"Who are you and what have you done with Leon? There's no way that bum would voluntarily ask for a job while he's on his break."

Giving a laugh at the 9th seat's comment, Leon heard a sigh from the other end of the call before the sound of rustling papers filled his ears.

"…Never mind… You're the real deal alright; no one else is disgusting enough to laugh and snort at the same time like that."

Waiting patiently for the rustling to stop as he balanced himself on top of the closed toilet seat, the white-haired male abruptly stopped and sat up as straight as he could in his curled up fetal position when Eizan spoke up once again "Alright; I won't press you for your reasons to your change in attitude, but if it's a job you want then I've just emailed you a list with the details – call me if you need anything."

Giving a small smile at the older male's well-hidden note of concern at the end, Leon couldn't resist the urge to tease the cold, calculating businessman for his small moment of weakness "Eheheheh~ Eizan, you can be a real softy when you try ya know?" Inwardly grinning at the spluttered sounds of protest on the other end of the line, Leon got up and dusted himself off "So… about that "Call me for anything" deal… Can I call you to say I need a mint ice-cream right now?"

"…"

"…"

"…"

Giving a round of uncontrollable laughter at the automated voice saying 'your call has been terminated unexpectedly', Leon gave an impish grin as he glanced left and right for any sign of Hayama before exiting the toilets with Eizan's list of jobs fresh in his inbox.

 _ **Poor Eizan…**_

Leon knew for a fact that that was the 5th phone the short-tempered businessman had thrown at a wall in that short week alone.

 _ **Still…**_

He couldn't say he regretted having poked and prodded at Eizan.

Giving a much more cheerful grin as he loaded his emails, whistling as he made his way out of the school to where a chauffeur was waiting for him outside, the white-haired male swiped through the screen of his phone, noting in slight amusement that Eizan had taken pains to sort through the list of available jobs to give him the easier ones.

He couldn't blame the blond for worrying about his uncharacteristic behavior.

… _ **After all…**_

With Erina's Shokugeki, the disassembly of the Chanko Research Society and Hayama looking for him, he needed something to take his mind off of things for now.

 _~End of Chapter 2~_

 **Author's note:**

Heya~ It's Kooliez xDDD Thanks for all the faves, follow and reviews and if you liked/disliked/straight-up hated anything in this story, please let me know in either the reviews of through PM ^~^

Life's been pretty busy so sorry it took me until now to update! xDDD

Until next chapter ^~^

Noaccountuser: Glad you liked the unique perspective; this story was a semi-experiment for me to see how I would portray a Nakiri who couldn't cook :DDD


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